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| Titanic life vest fetches £43,000 | Titanic life vest fetches £43,000 |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| One of the Titanic's few remaining lifejackets has been sold to a private collector for £43,000 ($80,000). | |
| The auction at Devizes in Wiltshire also featured dozens of letters sent by some of the 1,500 people who died when the ship sank in the Atlantic in 1912. | |
| Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said most items sold for more than expected to collectors from around the world. | Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said most items sold for more than expected to collectors from around the world. |
| One letter, in which passenger Edward Colley wrote of an earlier near-miss with a liner, made £18,000, he said. | One letter, in which passenger Edward Colley wrote of an earlier near-miss with a liner, made £18,000, he said. |
| The Irish aristocrat who died on his 37th birthday, had poked fun at the service on board the ship in the letter. | The Irish aristocrat who died on his 37th birthday, had poked fun at the service on board the ship in the letter. |
| The company did not want souvenir hunters, so a lot of things, including clothing, were put in big piles and burned Alan Aldridge, auctioneer | The company did not want souvenir hunters, so a lot of things, including clothing, were put in big piles and burned Alan Aldridge, auctioneer |
| "He mentioned, for instance, that the ordinary grub in first class was quite good - but if you wanted anything better you had to pay for it," said Mr Aldridge, who conducted the sale in south-west England. | |
| There was also a telegram from the Southampton-based ship's owner stating she was being towed to safety. | There was also a telegram from the Southampton-based ship's owner stating she was being towed to safety. |
| The White Star Line's telegram was sent after an inquiry was received from a US senator whose daughter and son-in-law were on board the ship. | The White Star Line's telegram was sent after an inquiry was received from a US senator whose daughter and son-in-law were on board the ship. |
| Value from rarity | Value from rarity |
| Fellow auctioneer Alan Aldridge said: "Initially it was said everybody on board had been saved and the ship was being towed. | Fellow auctioneer Alan Aldridge said: "Initially it was said everybody on board had been saved and the ship was being towed. |
| "When it was found out it was a major disaster, everyone from the White Star Line denied sending this telegram." | "When it was found out it was a major disaster, everyone from the White Star Line denied sending this telegram." |
| The white lifejacket, discovered in the debris after the passenger liner went down after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic, has been on display in a US museum. | The white lifejacket, discovered in the debris after the passenger liner went down after hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic, has been on display in a US museum. |
| Mr Aldridge said the lot's value comes from its rarity. | Mr Aldridge said the lot's value comes from its rarity. |
| There are only about six or seven lifejackets left in existence, he said. | There are only about six or seven lifejackets left in existence, he said. |
| "The company did not want souvenir hunters, so a lot of things, including clothing, were put in big piles and burned." | "The company did not want souvenir hunters, so a lot of things, including clothing, were put in big piles and burned." |
| One letter that never made the burning piles was written on official Titanic paper by a passenger called James Hocking. | One letter that never made the burning piles was written on official Titanic paper by a passenger called James Hocking. |
| "Everyone tells me I won't regret taking this trip on the ship," he wrote. | "Everyone tells me I won't regret taking this trip on the ship," he wrote. |